It's a term Musikfest-goers throw around — along with Volksplatz, Liederplatz and Lyrikplatz — but probably don't know what it means.

Let's start with the platz part itself — that's German for place. The festival in part celebrates Bethlehem's Germanic heritage and a lot of its stages take their names from the language.

Lieder means song, lyrik means poetry and volks means people. Each stage's music for the most part fits its name, says Jeff Parks, president of ArtsQuest, Musikfest's parent organization. Both Liederplatz and Lyrikplatz mainly host singer-songwriters. Volksplatz has a good variety of ethnic music, Parks says.

While Parks says he stays away from picking bands for Musikfest, he's been the chief stage namer since the festival's debut in 1984.

"I was the only one who spoke German in the early days," he says.

The organization gave its venues these odd names as a way to encourage a more fun way of exploration than just using official geographic terms, Parks says. The festival was founded as a way to bring people to downtown Bethlehem.

"Using the 'platz' vernacular allowed people to explore the city in a new way," Parks says. "People just like the 'platz' shtick."

Handwerk, by the way, means handicraft. Fittingly, it's a place to find handmade crafts at the festival.

Some of Musikfest's stages don't fit the German theme.

View full sizePlaza Tropical is one of the few Musikfest stages without a "platz" name. The stage, which debuted in 2000, was started to both recognize and attract Bethlehem's significant Hispanic population.Express-Times File Photo

Plaza Tropical, which debuted in 2000, was started to both recognize and attract Bethlehem's significant Hispanic population, Parks says.

Americaplatz, unlike Musikfest, gets the English spelling instead of German (Amerika).

Now let's talk about platzes that haven't lasted. Kunstplatz was the festival's first main stage. It was named after Kunstmuseum, a series of art museums in Europe.

Kunstplatz never really caught on, Parks says.

"We just used it for our main stage but no one else cared," he says.

Musikfest's two other main stages got very literal names: RiverPlace was along the Lehigh River on Sand Island. Steel Stage is on the former Bethlehem Steel Corp. site.

"We wanted to let people know where it was," Parks says.

Other platzes that are no longer with us: Familienplatz, or family place. It was where Handwerkplatz is now until 1993.

Spielplatz — meaning game place — was a short-lived area behind the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts intended for historical children's games. It never caught on and ended after a year, Parks says.

A stage you'll never see? While Musikfest is certainly fun, don't bet on a "fun" platz.

"'Vergnügen' is fun — no one was going to get that," Parks says.

***

Holding Strong

Festplatz, in the Colonial Industrial Quarter, and Liederplatz, in the Sun Inn Courtyard, have both been around since Musikfest debuted in 1984. The name Volksplatz also debuted in 1984, but it was located then at the Bank of America building at New and Broad streets; in 1988 it moved to its current location in Johnston Park.